The Road Ahead Us
by Arken
Summary: Contains shoujo ai. When Rikku goes missing, what will the Gullwings do?
1. What did you say?

The Road Ahead Us

Disclaimer: I do not own FinalFantasy. SquareEnix does. (Damn) This contains shoujo ai. Don't like, don't read. This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction so expect possible mistakes.

* * *

"(I'm finally going back to sphere hunting)" , Yuna thought as she stood on the red deck of the Celcius, now known as the ship of the Gullwings .

After the defeat of Vegnagun 'Lady Yuna' decided to take a vacation to keep her mind away from thoughts of _Him_. She spent her time in Besaid, living near a back mage that she thought of as a sister. None other than Lulu herself.

She knew that presence there wouldn't help a lot, but it felt like home to her so she stayed anyway.

Now after a year there Yuna has accepted Zanarkand boy's fate, but she still refuses to call him Tidus.

* * *

When Yuna entered the bridge it seemed that something was amiss. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't come up with an answer.

Then it hit her.

"Paine, where's Rikku?", Yuna asked realizing the lack of energy in the atmosphere.

"She's gone", Paine said looking at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with her.

"Gone?!", Yuna gasped, "I hope you don't mean that she's...d-dead, she stuttered.

"No!", Paine interrupted quickly, trying to dismiss such a thought from the brunette, "just missing".

Then silence stretched through their conversation for several minutes until Yuna spoke up.

"Then why aren't we looking for her?!", She looked at Paine expecting an answer

"We never found her!" Paine looked back at Yuna," We searched every cave, town, forest, temple, desert, and possibly every inch of Spira!.......I'm sorry Yuna, but I couldn't find even a trace of Rikku anywhere."

"Does Lulu know about this?" Yuna said, thinking about the Black Mage in Besaid.

"No, I didn't want to stress her more than she already is. Y'know taking care of a baby can take a lot out of a person", She replied.

"But she deserves to know where the '_father_' of her baby is," Yuna whispered so the other Gullwings couldn't hear her. Note: I'll explain this later. I promise.

"Huh? What about Wakka?" Brother asked, upon only hearing the words 'Lulu', 'father', and 'baby'.

"Nothing, I asked Yuna if Wakka named the baby yet", Paine replied with a straight face, obviously not having a problem with lying to him.

"He named him Riku, after our Rikku, but only with one K", Yuna added helpfully. She clasped her hands together, starting to fidget nervously.

"Oh", Brother frowned, the disturbing blonde man felt the urge to rant," I was hoping the squirt would be named after me, but my little brat of a sis beat me to it?", He paused, turning red, "No Fair!!", And with that he stomped back to his captain's chair, fuming with puffed out reddened cheeks like a spoiled child.

"Shall we discuss this elsewhere?" Paine suggested. She thought it was best not to hold such a conversation around odd people like the son of Cid.

"I guess so", Yuna agreed.

* * *

"Mish Yoona, what can I do for yoo?" The blue Hypello asked when he saw her enter the cabin.

"Nothing right now Barkeep, thanks".

She went up the stairs and sat on a bed across from Paine.

"Lulu actually named him Riku, because she missed Rikku so much she wanted a reminder of her until she saw her again", Yuna explained, trying to start off with a lighter subject to talk about.

"We were traveling on the Mi'hen Highroad", Paine started ignoring Yuna's baby name explanation. "There were rumors of a dress sphere hidden underneath a giant broken machina on the side of the road. They said it was broken to surprise unprepared sphere hunters. If you got at least a couple of inches near it, it would attack. After we scrapped it, I took the sphere and when I turned around Rikku was gone." Paine finished with a sigh.

Yuna thought about this for a couple of minutes then stood up, "We cannot give up! I don't care if we have to search every inch of Spira! We'll try again and again until we find every blonde hair on Rikku's head in its proper place!" She stopped to catch her breath, "How 'bout it Paine?", she stared at the leather-clad girl with big, mismatched, imploring eyes.

Paine half-smiled, half-smirked at her speech and puppy eyes, "No wonder Spira worships you.....Alright count me in".

* * *

Note:10/22/04. I fixed it so everything isn't so squished together. Also added un-noticeable details. Man I write weird XD


	2. Recieving the News

Chapter 2  
  
I know the last chapter was very short. I'm new at this, so bear with me. I think I'm making YRP seem a little OOC. Please tell me if I am.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Paine?"  
  
"What?"  
"You do know that we have to tell Lulu about this, don't you?", Yuna asked, prepared for the worst.  
"Yes, but I'm not telling her", Paine smirked, pointing at the former summoner.  
  
"No! The last awful thing I told her was that her goldfish died, and when I left the village I had a giant fire spell branded into my butt!", Yuna complained, shuddering at the thought.  
  
"That bad huh?", Paine said, thinking about how the Black Mage acted during that time of the month.  
"Hell yes!", Paine didn't know she could say such things, "That's why we send Rikku to tell her bad news. The worst punishment she got was a spanking. And she enjoyed it!".  
  
"She would", Paine muttered, "Next stop Besaid", she gave Yuna an evil smile.  
"Damn", Paine wondered where Yuna learned to curse like a sailor. {Note: I'm just kidding around about Yuna cursing, she won't do that anymore.}  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hi Wakka, where's Lulu?", Yuna reluctantly asked.  
  
"She's inside. I think she's sad because she hasn't seen the blonde in a while", He explained, then paused as he looked at them. Seeing only the Y and the P, but no R made him curious, "Hey, where is....."  
  
He was quickly interrupted, "Excuse me, but I think Paine can answer your questions for you", Then the half –Al-Bhed girl ran as fast as she could into the hut, leaving Paine behind with explanations.  
  
Wakka turned around to ask questions, but..... "Hey! Where did she go?!".  
  
"There's no way in Hell am I going to be stuck with storytelling", Paine whispered, hiding in a tree.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
" Hi Lulu, how are you?", she asked, thinking that was a stupid thing to ask, "(Of course she's not okay you idiot! It's been months since she last saw Rikku how do you think she feels?!)", her own mind threw insults at her.  
  
"Fine", she replied ,obviously lying, judging by the look on her visage.  
  
"(This is going to be harder than I thought)", the sphere hunter thought. She took a deep breath and explained the situation to her.  
  
Lulu urged herself not to cry, then she stood up with a determined look in her eyes, "When are we leaving?", she asked suddenly.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me. I'm going with you whether you like it or not", the mage said, looking even more determined.  
"But what about Riku?", Yuna asked, trying to come up with an excuse.  
"Wakka can take care of him. After all that is part of the reason why he lives here", she explained with a smile.  
"We leave tomorrow", Yuna said, defeated.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Did Paine tell you everything you wanted to know, Wakka?" Yuna asked, wondering how their conversation went.  
"She sure did", he grinned, pointing at a figure chained to a pole in front of the temple.  
  
Yuna walked over to the red-eyed creature.  
  
"Unchain me if you want to live", Paine hissed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Back on the Celcius, Lulu made herself at home. Found a bed to sleep in, had a good meal and bath, and Brother made sure he followed her every order, making it very obvious that he was afraid of her.  
She didn't pack a lot of things to bring with her. Only a couple pieces of clothing, her toothbrush, an ether or two, and, of course, a cute little stuffed moogle that Rikku gave her.  
  
"Um ....Lulu?", A voice spoke up from the bar.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Um....You sure you want to do this?"  
  
"Ramm Oac!", she replied in Al-Bhed.  
  
"But it has been a while since you......." ,Yuna was interrupted.  
"Are you saying that I'm inexperienced?!", Lulu said, her evil side starting to show.  
  
"N.. no", Yuna squeaked and quietly left the cabin.  
  
That left the Black Mage alone to think.  
  
"Rikku where are you?", she asked. She started to cry when she didn't receive an answer.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Somewhere in a distant, unknown area, a small figure spoke up, "Why can't I leave? I wish you were near me Lu"  
  
The words faded away as the figure cried.  
  
{Note: I'm sorry that was so crappy. I'll try harder next time} 


	3. He Talks Too Much

Chapter 3  
  
Okay I will try this again. This time longer. I know I was a little immature last time, Y'know refusing to continue unless I got a review, but this time I'm just writing for fun, not reviews. And thanks for your advice DarkPaladin, I appreciate it.  
  
She always had dreams of him before, but not like this.  
  
There he was, wearing a suit of armor, a helmet covered his face.  
  
Then she saw herself in a dress, in a tall tower. She was in a situation that screamed 'Damsel in Distress'.  
  
He was fighting a massive army of drakes, but with some unknown magic they vanished into thin air.  
  
Then he was racing toward the tower, to rescue her.  
  
When he finally made it to the top, she removed his helmet to thank him face-to- face.  
  
That face was not Him. It was........  
  
Paine?!  
  
"(Silver hair, red eyes, no mistake, THAT'S Paine!)" , she thought as the warrior leaned over to kiss her.  
  
"Yuna, Yuna, Yu --  
  
"YUNA!", a familiar voice jolted her to reality.  
  
"Huh?", the ex-summoner mumbled tiredly, then focused on the figure in front of her.  
  
She blushed as she saw her 'dreamy' (literally) savior.  
  
"I think you should wake up now", Paine said impatiently.  
  
"I guess I should", Yuna looked away, so she wouldn't stare at her.  
  
"That must have been some dream you had", the sound of an amused black mage entered her ears.  
  
She looked over at Lulu. She was leaning on the doorframe of the guest room.  
  
"I think we should start at Mi'hen Highroad, that's the last place you saw her, right?", Lulu began once she got her attention.  
  
"Right", Paine spoke up from her spot.  
  
"( Oh yeah, now I remember. Forget that dream you silly girl. You need to find that blonde cousin of yours!)", Yuna thought as she headed toward the bridge.  
  
{Note: I'm just going to do a scene change like that, because I don't think there's a point in writing what they did in the bridge, so I'm just going to skip it. I hope you don't get pissed off.}  
  
[Mi'hen Highroad]  
  
" There", Paine pointed to the remaining machina debris to the side of the road.  
  
"If there were any evidence to where she went it's not here", Lulu sighed.  
  
"Hmm, Paine did you ask anyone about a missing blonde?", Yuna asked, trying to avoid saying 'Rikku'.  
  
"No", Paine replied, reminding her that her skills in the social department were lacking.  
  
"Excuse me, have you seen girl about her height and age, with braided blonde hair?", Lulu asked a man passing by while pointing at Yuna as an example.  
  
"Sorry. Can you tell me her name? Maybe I can help you".  
  
"Rikku Highwind", she almost choked on her words.  
  
"Rikku Highwi.......", he stopped as a thought slammed into his brain, "You mean the Chosen One?!".  
  
" The what?!", the three girls almost face-faulted.  
  
"Aw geez, where have you been? That girl is the one that will save the nation of Mithril!"  
  
"Huh?!", they were really confused now.  
  
"Wow you're really clueless aren't you?", they nodded, "I guess I'll have to show you. Oh, my name is Seyven, by the way."  
  
"Well Seyven you have some explaining to do along the way", Lulu said, trying not to sound too threatening.  
  
"Yes maa'm", he said before he began "Okay, about 10 years ago a stone entrance was found near the Zanarkand ruins. Three months later a woman named Hikari Highwind opened the lock on the door and found Mithril, a vast nation, populated by thousands of people , most of them samurais and other people that were obviously of the orient, she also saw that the technology was beyond her own time...."  
  
"Machina?" Yuna interrupted.  
  
"No, this technology is not used primarily in their own personal lives, mostly for transportation and energy. The energy source is unknown, not even their own elders know. They think it comes from the Farplane, but they're not sure."  
  
"Excuse me, this is all very interesting, but what does this have to do with Rikku?" the Black Mage asked, wanting to cut to the chase.  
  
"Ah yes, you see Mithril was locked away for a reason. A fiend by the name of Jeitou came and every month it would pick a random person. That certain person would eventually go mad and would kill anyone near them for one day, then they would kill themselves after".  
  
"Uh excuse me......"  
  
"Hang on, I'm getting there. One of the elders decided to seal the gateway out so it wouldn't reach Spira. When Hikari opened the gate the elders were astonished. The seal could not be broken by anyone except the elder that made it , and he was dead by then. Hikari was different; she could open and close the gates in a matter of seconds. Also whenever she picked up a katana it would glow with the power of the fully combined elements".  
  
"I still don't know what this has to do with......."  
  
"Be patient please. Hikari decided to leave Mithril and tell Spira what she found out. So far she only told it to parts of her family, but when she traveled to Kilika Port to catch a boat she was sadly killed by Sin. Her daughter, Raylei Highwind, wanted to see if her mother wasn't lying, so she went to find Mithril herself, and sure enough she found it, she opened the gates and scared the living daylights out of the elders........"  
  
"Seyven......"  
  
"Wait! Wait! , almost there. They asked Raylei to pick up a katana and when they saw it glow they wondered if she could be the solution of their problems. After spending six months there, she marched up to Jeitou, trapped him in a cave, and then sealed him in there. After that she caught violet fever, a disease that people catch when they come too close to Jeitou, it has no cure, so a week later she passed away. Today Jeitou is still a problem. It no longer makes people kill others, but it grows stronger every night, and we're afraid it might break through the seal. Nine months ago we saw your friend, Rikku, using a glowing katana to beat that thing back there", He pointed back at the metal debris, "When we had our chance, we grabbed her and ran to this transporter", He stopped in front of the transporter, hidden under a rock.  
  
"Is that all", Paine had patiently listened to his explanation, but now she was a little irritated.  
  
"There is a little bit more, but I think Rikku can tell you herself".  
  
"At least I know she's okay", the Black Mage finally looked relieved.  
  
"Physically at least", Seyven added before stepping onto the platform.  
  
"What do you mean........" she couldn't finish her question as Seyven was already transported.  
  
{Note: This probably isn't very long either, but it's better than my previous chapters, right?} 


	4. Mushy Moment

Chapter 4  
  
{Note: Alright just to let you know. I said that I would explain that father thing, right? I will explain, I'm just trying to find the right place to put it. Thanks.}  
  
Seyven could feel something poking his leg. When he turned around he saw a small, stuffed moogle, waving at him.  
  
"Um....hi?", he waved back.  
  
The moogle stopped waving. It looked Seyven in the eye and then promptly rammed into his nose.  
  
"OW!!! Hey what was that for?!" He held a hand to his nose. He used his other hand to form a fist. He shook his fist at the moogle like an old man.  
  
"You didn't tell me everything", the sound of a very angry woman entered his ears.  
  
"Huh?", Seyven saw the moogle retreat to the arms of the Black Mage.  
  
"You heard me!", Lulu growled.  
  
"If I told you everything that there is to know about this place. I'm afraid you would kill me before I finished!"  
  
"What did you mean when you said Rikku was only 'physically' okay?!", Lulu questioned, almost on the verge of casting a Fira spell on Seyven's ass.  
  
A couple of meters away, a gunner and a warrior watched the scene with interest.  
  
"Protective isn't she?"  
  
"When it involves Rikku, she'll mow down almost anything in her path", the gunner faced her companion, "Um...Paine?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you think we should stop her?"  
  
"Not yet, Yuna", Paine smirked, "When she starts ripping his limbs off, THEN we can stop her."  
  
"( I must not run away.....I must not run away!)", Seyven thought, slightly backing away from the black mage.  
  
"Well?", Lulu hissed.  
  
"Um.....Oh yeah! Rikku is always in a dark mood. She says she misses someone, but she won't say who. Some nights when she's crying in her sleep, I can hear her call out to this person named Lulu. I think that this Lulu person is the someone she misses, so if you have a bone to pick with ANYONE I think it would be Lulu, okay?", He quickly said all that in one breath. He covered his eyes, expecting the world to end, but when it didn't he uncovered them and saw the number 2# saddest face he ever saw. (The 1# is Rikku.)  
  
{Note: Seyven doesn't know their names yet.}  
  
The moment Lulu's mood dropped, Yuna and Paine rushed over to support her. They were afraid she might faint after hearing that, but she didn't.  
  
Lulu blinked away the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. She looked at Seyven, "Where's Rikku?", she asked, almost choking up.  
  
"She's okay, we are going to find her, and you'll see that she's fine", Yuna tried vainly to cheer her up, while Paine looked down, unable to find the words.  
  
But Lulu ignored them anyway. Her eyes were focused on Seyven, silently begging for an answer.  
  
"Follow me", he said.  
  
He led them to a medium sized house. He knocked on the door. When the knock wasn't answered he sighed and raised his fist to knock again. This time the door opened.  
  
"Oh, hello there Seyven. You brought guests?", a small woman with long brown hair answered the door.  
  
"Kana, can you tell me where Miss Rikku is?", he asked, not responding to her question.  
  
"She won't come out of her room. She says she doesn't want to train today".  
  
"That doesn't matter right now. These young ladies want to see her", he said, gesturing to the three behind him.  
  
"Alright. Please come in. I'll try to drag her out again", Kana closed the door behind her after they walked in.  
  
Fifteen minutes later.  
  
"I'm sorry, but she won't listen. Maybe she'll respond someone else", she lamented.  
  
"Let me", Lulu stood up from her seat.  
  
"Her room is down the hall. First door on your right"  
  
"Thanks", once she found the right door, she started to feel a bit nervous, "(What if?......)"  
  
She took a deep breath, "Rikku".  
  
Inside the room a certain blonde head shot up at the sound of her name being called by that.....voice, "(No that can't be her, can it?)"  
  
Lulu almost had a heart attack when she heard a hesitant, soft voice, "Who's there?"  
  
The mage sniffed, "Who do you think it is?"  
  
The door flew open and Lulu was glomped unexpectedly by............Rikku!!  
  
"LU!!", Rikku yelled.  
  
That yell was heard by the occupants in the living room.  
  
"Lu?.....You mean she's Lulu?!", Seyven was very surprised.  
  
Yuna and Paine nodded, surprised that someone that knew so much was that dense.  
  
Back in the hallway.  
  
"I thought I would never see you again!", Rikku had tears rolling down her face.  
  
Lulu had her own batch of tears, "Same here"  
  
They both wiped each other's faces. They couldn't stop smiling.  
  
"I like your new clothes", Lulu pointed at the samurai dress sphere she was wearing.  
  
Rikku giggled. She leaned forward and caught the mage's lips with her own.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	5. Goodnight!

Chapter 5  
  
{Note: Sorry about that. I kinda fell asleep.}  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ _____  
  
"Yunie!" Rikku said as she squeezed her cousin in a bear hug.  
  
"I...I missed you too", Yuna gasped.  
  
"Rikku, I think you should let go. She's turning blue", Lulu suggested.  
  
"Oops! Sorry Yunie"  
  
"Th....That's all right", Yuna sat down on the sofa, to avoid Rikku's affection.  
  
With her attention away from Yuna. Rikku set her sights on another figure in the room.  
  
"What about you, Hmm?" Rikku circled around the warrior.  
  
"What about me?" Paine had an amused look in her eye.  
  
"C'mon! Admit it. You missed me too, didn't ya?" Rikku stood on her tip-toes to look at her face.  
  
"Kinda"  
  
"You can do better than that!"  
  
"Alright I did, but don't let it get to your head" Paine shook her head.  
  
Rikku just smiled.  
  
____________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Please excuse me, but I have to report to Lord Uzuki" Seyven quickly bowed, then left.  
  
"Always in a hurry", Kana watched him run away. Then she turned to the 'guests', "Would you like to stay for the night?"  
  
"Yes, If it isn't a problem", Yuna nodded.  
  
"No, No! No trouble at all!" Then Kana thought for a moment "But, I think there's only one guest room"  
  
"Lu can share my bed!" Rikku immediately called out.  
  
"Alright" Kana turned to the others, "I guess you two would have to share a bed. Is that a problem?"  
  
Yuna blushed a little "Only if Paine sees something wrong with it."  
  
"No problem at all", Paine said, not noticing her companion's discomfort.  
  
"So it's settled" Kana started walking away, "Goodnight everyone!"  
  
"Goodnight" they replied in unison.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear from you?" Rikku purred into Lulu's ear.  
  
"I don't know exactly" Lulu smiled, "Care to remind me?" She then grabbed the front of the blonde's shirt and pulled her down to the large be they were sharing.  
  
Rikku put her lips against hers in a passionate kiss, "I would be glad to"  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
"(Relax, nothing is going to happen. Heck, WHY would anything happen ANYWAY! )", Yuna looked at the sleeping figure beside her.  
  
Paine was wearing a black tank top and black shorts. Her light snoring was the only sound in the room.  
  
"(It's not like I'm attracted to her or something.)"  
  
"(Yes you are!)", another voice piped up in Yuna's brain.  
  
"(Who are you?)"  
  
"(You.)"  
  
"(But, that can't be right, there is only one Yuna and that's me!)"  
  
"(I'm the part of you that tells the truth to herself ,and the smartest, if I do say myself.)"  
  
"(.....I'm going insane, right?)"  
  
"(Of course not! As a matter of fact you're in love!)"  
  
"(Say what?!)"  
  
"(You heard me. You're in L-O-V-E!)"  
  
"(Okaaay, if that's right then who with?)"  
  
"(You don't know?!)"  
  
"(No......)"  
  
"(Then you'll just have to find out yourself you dumbass!)"  
  
"(Hey! Give me an answer.....um .....me!)"  
  
The voice didn't respond that time.  
  
"(Fine then!....Goodnight!)"  
  
Before Yuna fell asleep, she came to a conclusion.  
  
"I AM going insane."  
  
___________________________________________________________________________  
  
That morning Paine woke up feeling a bit too warm, despite being on top of the covers.  
  
She felt something around her waist. She looked around, and when she found the culprit.......she blushed.  
  
There she was, the 'Honorable Lady Yuna' was holding her as if she were a life-sized moogle doll.  
  
After a couple of minutes Paine sighed. She gently removed Yuna's arms away from her, while trying not to notice how soft they were.  
  
"(She probably does that unintentionally in her sleep.)", Paine thought as she moved toward the kitchen.  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Dear Lu,  
  
I'm sorry I can't be there right now, but those nasty elders are making me train. They say that I'm off schedule and crap like that. Meanies. Even wimpy little Seyven agrees with them! Well anyway you can come see me at the temple once you wake up, Kana can show you where it is.  
  
Love ya!  
  
Rikku  
  
"Hmm, I guess it won't hurt to drop by there", Lulu said to herself, after reading the note found on the pillow beside her.  
  
"Drop by where?"  
  
She looked at the source of the voice, "Oh, hi Yuna. I'm going to see Rikku at some kind of temple that she's training at."  
  
"What kind of training?"  
  
"I don't know.", She came up with an idea, "You want to come see for yourself?"  
  
"Sure. I'll go see if Paine wants to come too, okay?"  
  
"That'll be fine" the mage watched her exit the room, "(I wonder if......Nah!)"  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
"I see you're awake", Paine's cheeks pinked slightly as she saw the brunette enter the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning Paine", she decided to ask, "Do you want to visit Rikku at a temple with us?"  
  
"I guess so. It's not like I have anything better to do.", Paine replied casually.  
  
"Great! We'll leave once Lulu is done with her make-up."  
  
After 10 minutes of awkward silence, Paine broke the ice.  
  
"How long does it take for her to put her face on?"  
  
"A few hours.", Yuna lamented.  
  
"Great......", the warrior said with mock enthusiasm.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
{Note: I wrote this out of boredom, under the influence of caffeine. LOTS of caffeine..........and now......I'm tired.......goodni- .....ZZzzzZZ *starts snoring*} 


	6. Bring It On!

Chapter 6  
  
{Note: What note? LOL.}  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Here", Kana said, gesturing to the massive doors of the temple.  
  
"Interesting", Yuna glanced at the building's oriental design.  
  
"Isn't it?" Kana agreed, "They say Lord Uzuki designed it with Lady Hikari's help."  
  
Lulu moved to open the doors when......  
  
"Wait!" The three girls looked at Kana.  
  
"What?" Paine put her hands on her hips impatiently.  
  
"Um, I just remembered" She shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, "You have to wear these", she handed them each a dress sphere.  
  
Now they looked at her strangely.  
  
"Err.....Um......Heh" she blushed and looked at the ground, "I...It would be a bit.....unnatural if you went inside with your current clothing."  
  
Yuna and Lulu tried to sustain their laughter, while Paine rolled her eyes.  
  
"Is that all?" the former summoner asked while cracking up slightly.  
  
"Yes.....I guess so" the poor woman wondered what was so funny.  
  
"Sorry about that, it's just that you looked like the world was going to end" Lulu said.  
  
"Oh, I thought that you might take it the wrong way and be insulted" Kana smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Nonsense" Paine spoke up.  
  
"What makes you think we would do that?"  
  
"When I told Lady Raylei that she wasn't exactly happy" Kana remembered the slap she received long ago.  
  
"Harsh", the mage looked at the temple, "No use standing out here" she activated the sphere in her hands. Yuna and Paine did the same.  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
"I think they're cute" Yuna commented on the pink kimono she was wearing.  
  
"I wonder if Rikku will like it" Lulu looked down at her own white kimono.  
  
"Of course she will" Yuna reassured her.  
  
"Hmm...." Paine tugged slightly on her dark blue kimono.  
  
"What do you think, Paine?" Yuna turned to the warrior.  
  
"They feel.......different" she said, finally finding the words.  
  
"That's because they're not leather" Kana explained before walking in the opposite direction they were heading.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I have to take care of the house" she said, "See you later!" she waved to them.  
  
"Um....ok" Yuna waved back.  
  
"Ready?" Yuna turned to the two behind her.  
  
They both nodded.  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
"Lu!" the blonde put down her katana and ran to her mage.  
  
"Hey!" Lulu welcomed the running hug, "I missed you too, I guess"  
  
"What about us?" Yuna called out.  
  
"Oh, hi Yunie!...........And you too Dr. P."  
  
Paine snorted, "Stop that"  
  
Yuna patted her shoulder "Aw, you know she's kidding"  
  
Rikku looked at how close Paine and her cousin were and thought, "(Are they?...maybe?.....Nah!)"  
  
"Rikku!"  
  
"Huh? Wha?.." Rikku looked around her, wondering who destroyed her train of thought.  
  
"I said, how well do they train you here?" Paine tried not to yell.  
  
The little samurai,{Note: Rikku}, smirked at the warrior, "Enough to kick your sorry ass."  
  
"Oh really?" Paine gained a smirk of her own. She reached into her pocket and activated her own samurai dress sphere.  
  
"Then bring it!" Paine pointed her sword at her mockingly.  
  
"With pleasure" Rikku put herself in a battle stance.  
  
"What, with no sword?" Paine wondered if this girl was crazy.  
  
"I don't need it to beat you." She said knowingly.  
  
"Alright then" Paine readied herself, then charged!  
  
__________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Such children" Lulu shook her head at the two.  
  
"Go Paine!!!" Yuna cheered, ignoring Lulu.  
  
The mage gave her a strange look, "(Go Paine?)"  
  
She glanced back at the 'battle' , "Fine then!"  
  
She pulled out two paper fans from nowhere and started to wave them about.  
  
"Go Rikku Go!" Lulu cheered while waving the fans.  
  
Two nearby monks sweatdropped.  
  
_______________________________________________________________  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
"Tired yet?" Rikku smiled at Paine's attempts at hitting her.  
  
"You're" Paine swung at her, and missed, "Going" ,she wiped the sweat from her brow, "DOWN!" she charged again, but only managed to strike air.  
  
"Aww, quit holding back!" Rikku was getting bored.  
  
"Stand still!"  
  
"No thanks" the blonde picked up her discarded katana, and with one swift stoke Paine flew several feet. Then she 'gracefully' fell on her butt.  
  
"How?" Paine looked disbelievingly at her. She glanced at Rikku's sword before turning away, "(That's bright. Why didn't I notice it before?)" She checked herself for injuries, "(Wha? Hell she didn't even touch me, and she still won!)"  
  
"Booyaka!" Rikku jumped up, then started to do a victory dance.  
  
"Uh....go Paine?" Yuna 'cheered' from the sidelines.  
  
"It's over Yuna" Lulu smiled while putting her fans away.  
  
"I see your training is paying off " A new voice entered the temple.  
  
"Huh?" Rikku turned to the voice, "Oh, hi Sage!"  
  
"Lord Uzuki" A monk corrected her.  
  
"Whatever"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
{Note: Still short, don't care. Oh, this is a bit old, but I'll probably explain the Rikku/Father thing near or in the ending} 


	7. Conversations

Chapter 7  
  
{Note: I'm speechless.}  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
A young man, no older than 16, appeared before them.  
  
"(THAT'S Lord Uzuki?!?!)" Yuna thought with extreme surprise.  
  
"Is there something wrong Miss?" Uzuki asked her with an amused look on his face.  
  
"Um...Are you Lord Uzuki?" she questioned.  
  
"You can call me Sage, if you want"  
  
"Whoa....." Yuna managed.  
  
"You're not exactly what we expected." Paine added, a little startled herself.  
  
"I get that a lot. I'm missing a couple of wrinkles and a beard, aren't I?" Sage replied with ease.  
  
"Not to be rude or anything, but how old are you?" Lulu thought this was a joke.  
  
"I'll turn fifty-seven next week" His smile almost reached the tips of his black hair.  
  
"Rikku is he pulling our leg, or what?" the mage asked her, noticing that she wasn't really reacting to Uzuki's announcement.  
  
"Nope believe it or not, he's telling you the truth" Rikku answered with a blank expression.  
  
"But how?"  
  
"He met my grandmother and my mother" She replied, her face still not showing anything.  
  
"Rikku, are you alright?" Lulu was a little worried. Rikku wasn't acting like herself.  
  
"Fine, fine" She faked a smile, "I guess I kinda spaced out"  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
Obviously sensing her distress, Sage interrupted, "Rikku, why don't you take the rest of the day off. I think you've done enough today" He gave her sympathetic smile.  
  
"Sure, thanks" Rikku tried to sound happier, but was unsuccessful.  
  
_______________________________________________________  
  
"(What's wrong with her?)" Lulu thought, seeing the pain on her lover's face.  
  
She had been like this the entire way back to the house. When Lulu or Yuna tried to start a conversation with her, she only answered with short, quick answers. Even Paine was concerned about this, but she kept her mouth shut.  
  
"Rikku please, I hate to see you like this" Lulu pleaded, "Tell me what is wrong, please"  
  
The blonde was staring at the ceiling of the bedroom for at least an hour. She glanced at the mage, then set her eyes back on the ceiling. Finally she spoke up.  
  
"When I mentioned my relatives in that temple, it reminded me why I'm here" Rikku replied, her voice unwavering.  
  
"What do they have to do with anything?" Lulu asked gently.  
  
"They......They died trying to stop that...thing" She stuttered slightly.  
  
"Jeitou...." The mage whispered.  
  
"Yes" Rikku sat up, "Now I have to"  
  
Lulu's head snapped up, "No! You can't!" She couldn't believe this.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I'm the only one who can"  
  
"Why can't someone else?!" Lulu wasn't giving up.  
  
"I'm the only one who can get through that damned seal and kill it!" Rikku didn't want to have this conversation.  
  
"Is it really worth it?" Lulu whispered.  
  
"It's either my life or thousands of others, including me, so I say it is." Rikku sniffed lightly.  
  
"Excuse me for a minute..." the mage left the room in a hurry, so she wouldn't see her tears.  
  
That left Rikku alone to wallow in her own misery.  
  
________________________________________________  
  
"Is she alright?" Paine asked her, not wanting to admit that she was worried.  
  
"I guess" Yuna gave her a smile, "I'm sure Lulu will take care of it"  
  
"Hmm"  
  
"Something on your mind, Paine?"  
  
"I'm just wondering how Rikku beat me." Paine mumbled.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Last time we fought, I was able to win blindfolded" the warrior was obviously confused.  
  
"Impressive"  
  
"Not really. She made a lot of noise, so that made it kind of easy"  
  
"I still think it's amazing" Yuna said.  
  
Paine blushed, "Uh....Yeah" She wasn't used to this kind of praise. She decided to change the subject. "You ready for bed?" {Note: Wow....that sounded so wrong}  
  
"Not yet, I'll go change" Yuna picked up her clothes and moved to the bathroom to change.  
  
"You can change here" Paine blurted, without thinking. She mentally smacked herself, "(What the HELL am I saying?!)"  
  
"Uh...err...um...okay" Yuna sputtered, "(It won't be that bad, we're both girls. It's not like she'll check out my ass. I wish she would though. EEK what am I thinking?!)"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
{Note: I took one look at this chapter and said, "Man, this sucks".} 


	8. Looking at You

Chapter 8  
  
{Note: I'm hungry}  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"(Look what you did, you idiot. You just had to open your mouth and tell her that. You made her cry, because of your own problems! You fool what were you thinking?)"  
  
Rikku was still staring at the ceiling, contemplating on what to do next. She couldn't just sit here and wait for her to come back. She sighed and got up.  
  
She crept through the hallway, hoping to find the mage and apologize. Through the darkness she saw the housekeeper watering a plant.  
  
Kana was humming a song that Rikku never heard of. It looked like she was in a good mood.  
  
"Sweet dreams little one" Kana said to the unresponsive flower.  
  
"Hey Kana" Rikku said softly, hating to disturb her moment.  
  
She spun around, "Oh, Lady Rikku"  
  
"It's Rikku" she corrected.  
  
"I'm sorry"  
  
She shook her head, "Anyway have you seen Lu around here?"  
  
Kana concentrated for a couple of minutes, tapped her chin then answered, "I remember now, she said that she wanted some air and went for a walk. I wouldn't really know, but she looked kinda upset. Who would go out this late at night anyway? Y'know with all the occasional fiends, muggers, and-- ."  
  
Rikku interrupted her babbling streak, "You didn't stop her?!"  
  
"Of course not. It is not my place to tell people what they can and cannot do. It's not nice"  
  
Rikku slapped her own forehead and groaned. She turned away from the housekeeper, and without a word she ran out of the house, leaving Kana alone in the darkness.  
  
"Why do they always run away from me?" Kana said to no one, "Is it my breath?" she breathed into her hand and sniffed, "No..." She paused, "...Is it my--." She lifted her arm and sniffed her....armpit, "No...What is it?!" she looked at the plant.  
  
Sadly (really?) the flower didn't respond.  
  
______________________________  
  
Yuna was turned away from her so her companion couldn't see how red her face was. She started to change into her pajamas.  
  
Paine just sat there, trying to find something else to look at, besides Yuna. Finally she settled her eyes on the ceiling fan, "(She probably thinks you're weird now. Good thing I don't have respect points to be taken away)"  
  
Without thinking AGAIN, Paine looked over to see if Yuna was finished.  
  
She immediately looked back at the fan after catching a glimpse of the ex- summoner's panties, which had cute little patterns of..., "(Mogs?...mogs...Mogs!)"  
  
Yuna was finally dressed. She looked at the warrior, "Alright I'm done" she saw the blush painted on her cheeks, "(I wonder if she peeked at me or something....No, that's ridiculous!)"  
  
She shrugged it off as she turned off the lights and curled up in the covers beside Paine. She saw that she was having an intense staring contest with the fan.  
  
"Is there something wrong?"  
  
"...mogs..."  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Ack...err I said nog...um that's right. I had too much egg nog excuse me" she said hurriedly as she got up and moved toward the bathroom.  
  
"Sure" Yuna thought for a moment, "(Wait a second...What's egg nog?!)"  
  
_________________________  
  
Paine went through the hallway and entered the nearest bathroom she could find.  
  
Once she closed the door behind her she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink.  
  
"(That shouldn't have affected you like it did. It's not like you haven't seen underwear before.)"  
  
"(But you haven't seen them on Yuna's butt, until now.)"  
  
"(What is wrong with me?! I shouldn't be thinking like this)"  
  
"(You should. Cause she had a nice ass)" {Note: That's just awful}  
  
"(WHAT!?!.....I swear I'm getting worse than Gippal these days)"  
  
After she relieved herself she moved toward the kitchen. She opened the fridge. Once she found what she was looking for, she popped it open and then proceeded to chug it until it was empty.  
  
She threw the can into the trash bin, "Maybe that'll help me sleep"  
  
____________________________  
  
Lulu moved briskly through Mithril, not knowing or caring where she was going.  
  
"(If she dies then what will happen? What will happen to her family, her friends, our son?)"  
  
Her own thoughts haunted her as she walked. She stopped as she saw a creature that resembled a behemoth stomp around the alley she almost crossed.  
  
Her plan of leaving it alone failed as it spotted her and started to charge her way.  
  
She cast Fiagra before it even touched her. The fiend brushed it off as it swung its claw at her.  
  
It literally swept the mage off her feet, making her clutch her ankle in pain. She cast Cure on herself and tried to get up. She cried out in agony as she stood up. She fell back down and looked up at the beast. She tried to scan it.  
  
Name: Inazuma  
  
Weakness: Physical attacks.  
  
Other information unknown.  
  
"Great...just great" she said as Inazuma prepared another attack.  
  
The claw almost killed her this time. If it weren't for an unknown force that ripped its arm off, it would have actually hit her.  
  
The fiend roared as it tried to find the source of the pain.  
  
"Hey you!"  
  
It looked at the voice.  
  
There she was, Rikku, with her hands on her hips and a frustrated look on her face.  
  
"That's right! I'm talkin' to you Tiny! What makes you think you can go around attacking pretty ladies, huh?"  
  
Of course it didn't understand her, but it moved to rip her apart anyway.  
  
Unlike Lulu, Rikku dodged Inazuma. She pulled her glowing katana out of her Garment Grid.  
  
"Eat this!" she yelled as she threw her sword in its mouth as if it were a javelin.  
  
It fell on its back with a crash. It stopped moving as it faded into pyreflies.  
  
Once the blonde retrieved her weapon and put it away, she knelt down beside the person that meant the most to her.  
  
"Hey, Lu you alright?"  
  
Lulu watched her defeat that thing with a stunned expression, "M...My hero"  
  
Rikku giggled, "I guess. Need help?"  
  
The mage winced as she attempted to stand, "I think so. I don't see how you can help me tho—."  
  
She stopped as Rikku picked her up with ease and then proceeded to walk back to the house.  
  
"Uh, Rikku?"  
  
"Yeah Lu?"  
  
"Aren't I heavy?"  
  
"Of course not!" and to prove it she threw the mage up into the air and caught her.  
  
"Whoa, okay I get it!"  
  
"You're the one that wanted to know"  
  
Lulu smiled at her as they near toward the house. Both of their minds seemingly elsewhere for once. 


End file.
